The Rock-afire Explosion

I went into this thinking that it would be more centered around the band and the animatronics themselves, and was wildly disappointed. Instead, it was primarily focused on the nostalgia the other, older people had for the band. Which is fine in itself- however, it was wildly disappointing to me. I am 15, and I never got to experience the RAE for myself, however it is a large special interest of mine, so watching this was not only a disappointment, but immensely boring. Who wants to watch random adults talk about how much they miss the band? I was expecting so much more, but maybe it's my fault for having such high expectations. I don't think I would ever actually watch this again.

It's a fascinating look at the Anamatroic pizza-place fan community, but on a deeper leaver it's about a whole bunch of people who can't stop looking back. The fans are really invested in their childhood memories of these robots, and I can't throw rocks because I'm sure I'm on the right side of the bell curve when it comes to romanticizing the pop culture of my own childhood, but the owner of company? As far as I can tell from the documentary, he can't let go either. At his height he once employed 300 people, his business crashed and he had to fire all of them over the course of a decade until he was the only one left, and it seem like in his mind he is a bit haunted by that. Really fascinating documentary.

The documentary simultaneously examines the life of Aaron Fechter--engineer and inventor of Showbiz's iconic musical centerpiece, and the founder of the company that produced the animatronic marvels, Creative Engineering. It's an almost heartbreaking glimpse into the perils of achieving incredible success at a young age, and the slow torture of being unable to recreate that success over the remainder of a lifetime. Whereas the bits about Chris Thrash are mostly inspiring and uplifting, the segments covering Fechter's life convey a theme of gloom and decay. And although he seems happy to discuss the "good old days", there's a quiet desperation just beneath the exterior of his optimistic outlook and upbeat personality that is truly powerful to behold.

The greatest value of this production is the incredible sincerity of the people upon whose lives it focuses. You can't act this kind of stuff; these are a collection of individuals who, not unlike the robotic band itself, have been drawn together by the love and happy memories they once had at a place called Showbiz Pizza. And it's powerful, because anyone who grew up frequenting the fabulous pizza-parlour-stage-show-arcade is likely to strongly empathize with that love and share many of the same memories. I may be getting soft in my old age, but I have to admit that I teared up during one particularly poignant moment in the documentary. That could simply be a testament to good filmmaking. Or, it could be that I just happen to fall directly into the smack-dab-middle of the target demographic for this DVD. Either way, it's a fantastic watch and I highly recommend it to everyone who grew up in the 80s loving pizza, arcade games, and ridiculously overdone animatronic stage shows.

Matt 'gzsfrk' Williams

I had the pleasure of watching this documentary at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. As someone who grew up in the 80s, this film brought back a lot of memories for me.

This movie balances the passion that others have towards The Rock-afire Explosion with the man who actually created (and still owns all rights to) the animatronics and characters.

If you remember seeing these in Showbiz Pizza when you were growing up, then this is the movie for you to see. If you are passionate about something that you collect, then this movie will also resonate with you.

Director Brett Whitcomb could have easily taken a condescending attitude toward Thrash and the other Rock-afire enthusiasts, but instead he presents the material in a nonjudgmental fashion that makes The Rock-afire Explosion surprisingly moving at times. Thrash's dream may seem silly or superficial to you or me, but that doesn't matter; it's his dream and he made it come true, and how many of us can say the same? In its own funny way, the film investigates the power of nostalgia and the artifacts of childhood, as well as the tangible and emotional wreckage that's left behind when a fleeting moment of pop culture has passed.

Posted by Scott Von Doviak (The Screengrab)